Mission Request: The Heartfilia Heiress
by obsessedwithnalu
Summary: Slightly AU: How would life be different if Layla Heartfilia had lived? When Fairy Tail is sent a request to guard an heiress, what will happen between its resident dragon slayer and the client they're supposed to protect?
1. Chapter 1: The Mission Request

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, not me.**

June X 784

Erza Scarlet, the famous re-quip mage of Fairy Tail, was feeling slightly annoyed as she walked to her guild. It was her fellow mages. All of them caused so much trouble for the guild and as an S-class wizard, she felt it was her duty to keep them in line. She could feel a migraine coming on just thinking of the antics of a few of them in particular. _Maybe I should take a nice long S-class mission as a kind of vacation away from these idiots_ she thought as she entered the guild.

Once she was inside, the guild became silent—with one exception. She could hear the insults, punches, and kicks traded back and forth between the two mages that gave her the most trouble: Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster.

"You call that a punch flame-brain?! That was pathetic!" yelled the resident ice make wizard.

"Oh yeah, ice-prick! I bet Happy could hit harder then you! The fire-dragon slayer shouted as he aimed a flaming kick at his rival.

"Natsu! Gray!" Erza boomed. Instantly they shot together, clasping each other in their arms.

"H-Hi Erza" Gray said while trembling. "As you can see, we're getting along today."

"A-Aye." whimpered Natsu.

"Guild-mates should not fight. Do not make me remind you why." Erza warned.

"W-What are you t-talking about Erza? We're the best of friends!" Gray said as he trembled.

"Aye." Natsu squeaked out.

While she contemplated teaching Natsu and gray yet another lesson about fighting within the guild, Erza felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Ah Mira, what is it?"

"You'll have to discipline these two another time Erza. The master wanted to talk to you as soon as you got in."

Hmm. I wonder what the master could want Erza thought.

* * *

><p>"Master, you wanted to see me?"<p>

Ah yes, Erza, I have a special mission for you." Said Master Makarov as he handed her a mission sheet.

"One million jewels just for guarding someone for a few days!" Erza said incredulously. "That seems a bit high."

"Well, it's not just anyone you'll be guarding. It's the heiress of the Heartfilia Konzern, one of the richest and most powerful families in Fiore. It seems she's getting married and her parents are worried about her getting kidnapped as they travel to her new home."

"I see. Now what's this part about wanting 'entertaining' mages?" Erza asked, confusion lining her face.

Makarov chuckled. "Apparently, the daughter likes to read _Sorcerer's Weekly_ and is a bit of a fan of our guild. That is what I wanted to talk to you about." He paused. "I want you to take Gray and Natsu with you. It is the after-effects of their missions that caught the attention of this girl and they do put on quite an unforgettable show after all."

"Master, have you lost your mind! Those two cause enough damage when they work alone and you want them to go on a mission together! Are you sure about this?"

"That's why you'll be there too. Just tell them that if they behave, the master might pick them for the exams in December."

* * *

><p>"Natsu! Gray!" Erza boomed.<p>

"We weren't even fighting this time Erza!" Natsu whined.

"Never mind that. The master wants the three of us to go on a special mission." Erza said.

"Special mission? Is it an S-class mission?" Natsu asked excitedly. "Wait a minute. I don't wanna work with that stripping ice-hole over there." he said gesturing to Gray.

"Same here, ash-for-brains." quipped the raven-haired ice alchemist.

"Too bad, you were specifically asked for and it's about time you two learned a little teamwork."

"Hey, I have a team—Happy is my partner." the fire mage crowed with a grin on his face.

"Aye sir!" said Happy, Natsu's flying blue cat companion, who had been floating above his head.

"And I take missions with Loke or Cana sometimes so I know about teamwork already too." Gray pouted at Erza.

"Yes, yes, but you two still need to work together since you're from the same guild. Consider it as training for being an S-class wizard."

Erza smirked as that shut them up.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, I'm never taking a train again." Natsu groaned.<p>

"You say that every time Natsu." said his blue friend.

"Yeah, but this time I mean it."

"Unfortunately for you Natsu, that might not be the case since we'll be guarding our clients while traveling." Erza said sympathetically.

"Ugh." Natsu groaned again, looking green.

"Now, now, maybe they won't take the train. If they go by horse and carriage you could run or fly with Happy."

"Well Erza, where do we go from here?" interrupted Gray suddenly.

"I'll ask. Wait here." Erza walked up to an old man who was sweeping the train platform. "Excuse me sir, but can you direct me to the Heartfilia estate?" she asked him.

"You must not be from around here young lady." the old man said.

"Why is that?" Erza asked.

"Because all of the land as far as you can see is part of the Heartfilia estate, but if you're looking for Mr Heartfilia himself just head that way" he said pointing towards the biggest building on the property "and you'll find him."

Erza looked around, blinking._ All of this belongs to this one family_ she thought. _Incredible_. She headed back to her teammates.

"Follow me." she said as she grabbed her wagon of luggage.

"This town is huge! Maybe bigger than Magnolia." Natsu said with awe in his voice.

"Apparently, this is just the gardens of the Heartfilia's home." Erza replied.

"Well, I can see how they can afford one million jewels for a simple guarding job now." said Gray.

"I don't get it." Natsu said after they had walked for a few minutes.

"What don't you get, dumbass?" sneered the ice mage.

Natsu glared at Gray. He relaxed himself with effort. "There's only three people right? The dad, the mom, the girl" he said ticking off his fingers. "Why do they need all these extra houses?"

"For the servants I guess." Gray replied.

"Okay boys, remember to be on your best behavior on this job. That means no stripping Gray, no inappropriate comments Happy, no wanton destruction Natsu, and especially no fighting one another. You understand?" she warned.

"Yes ma'am." the three replied sulking.


	2. Chapter 2: Meet the Heartfilias

**I just want to say thanks to those that read, reviewed, and favorited my first chapter. It makes me feel good that there's others out there that like what's going on in my head. I hope you'll like the rest of the story just as much.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did I wouldn't have time to write fan fiction, manga-kas work really hard!**

After the short walk from the train station, the fairy tail mages came to the front door of the Heartfilia mansion. Erza knocked on the door and waited. A short while later a middle aged lady in a maid's uniform answered the door.

"Yes?" she said distrustfully.

"Hello, I'm Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail and these are my guild-mates Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster. We're here for a job that Mr. Heartfilia specially requested."

"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Happy cried "I'm a part of Fairy Tail too!"

"Oh good! I'm Ms. Spetto, a maid here. Miss Lucy was so excited when she heard you were coming. I'll show you to the master and mistress."

"Who's Lucy?" Natsu asked as they were being led through the house.

"She's the young mistress, Mr. Dragneel. She's the one that really wanted you to come." the maid replied. They came to a door whereupon Ms. Spetto knocked on it.

"Yes, what is it?" came a reply from inside.

Ms. Spetto opened the door. "Excuse me sir, but the Fairy Tail wizards are here. I thought you'd like to meet them first."

"Yes, send them in." came the reply.

Ms. Spetto moved to the side to let the magic users pass. "Good luck." she whispered.

_This room is huge_ Natsu thought. It was bigger than his house and filled floor to ceiling with books. Now, Natsu was not a great reader, but he knew that even if he was, he could never read all the books here in his lifetime. _All this stuff for just these three_ he thought. _What a bunch of show-offs_. He was not looking forward to this job._ I just know this Lucy girl is going to be a spoiled brat and a pain in the ass_ he moaned inside his head. At least that had been his experience with rich clients so far.

Seated at a couch within the room was a beautiful lady in an elegant pale blue dress. She looked to be in her mid to late 30s, with blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. Standing behind a desk was a man in his 30s or 40s with slightly darker hair and a severe mustache.

"Welcome to my home" the man stated. "I'm Jude Heartfilia and this is my lovely wife Layla."

"Welcome." Layla smiled at the mages as she rose to meet them.

"I'm Erza Scarlet and this is Gray, Natsu, and Happy, Erza said pointing to them in turn. We're here answering your request for strong, entertaining wizards to guard your daughter."

_Entertaining_? Natsu thought._ Yep, spoiled princess if she expects us to "entertain" her._

Layla shook hands with Erza. "You all look so young and full of life!" Layla beamed. "I bet you're all close to Lucy's age. It'll be so nice for her to have people her own age to talk to for once." At this Layla looked pointedly at Jude. "If you don't mind, what is your magic young lady?" Layla asked Erza.

"I'm a re-quip mage. I re-quip swords and armor and use my strength and fighting skills to defeat my enemies. I'm also one of the five S-class wizards that Fairy Tail has to offer." Erza stated proudly.

"And what about you, young man?" Layla asked Gray.

"Oh, um, I'm an ice make wizard. I can make whatever I want out of ice." Gray replied as he brought his hands together to use his magic. In his palm was a small ice statue. It looked just like Mrs. Heartfilia.

"Oh, how lovely." she cooed "You're very talented."

"Show-off" Natsu grumbled.

"I can fly! See!" Happy exclaimed as he formed his wings and started zooming around the room.

"Oh my, a talking cat! I've never seen that before!" Layla exclaimed admiring Happy's air acrobatics.

"Oy Happy, come back here before you fly into something." Natsu told his best friend.

"How about you young man, what's your magic?" Layla asked as she took Natsu's hand softly.

"I'm a fire dragon slayer!" Natsu stated with pride "I was taught how to kill dragons using fire by my dad, a real dragon."

"A dragon...a fire dragon?" Layla asked quietly to herself as she headed back to her couch with a strange look on her face.

Natsu was confused, but before he could ask anything, Mr. Heartfilia spoke up.

"I think we should discuss just what this job entails. Why don't you all sit down." They all quickly took a seat on the other couch in the room. "As you may know, my daughter Lucy will be married in less than a week. In that time I need you to guard her and keep her company. As heiress of Heartfilia Railways, Lucy would be a tempting target to any unscrupulous men out there. Now, we're not expecting anything to happen, but we've heard stories of other wealthy families who have had their daughters kidnapped, so we thought it would be prudent to hire extra help while we travel in unfamiliar territory."

"You can count on us sir. Fairy Tail will protect your daughter. Our honor is on the line if we fail." Erza said solemnly.

At that, there was a soft knocking on the door.

"Ah, that must be Lucy now." Jude said. "Enter."

Natsu and the others rose from their couch and turned towards the door. In walked a teenage girl, her head bowed and hands clasped together.

"Ah Lucy, Ms. Spetto must have told you that the mages had arrived. Well, come meet them since you're here." said her father.

"Thank you father" she said raising her head.

Natsu gasped._ This girl is beautiful, no, not just beautiful_ he thought. _Breathtaking. Literally breathtaking_. Like her mother she had blonde hair and brown eyes. She was shorter than her mother, but still had a woman's curvy body. Her pink satin dress accentuated her tiny waist and especially her large bosom. Her breasts were practically spilling out of her dress, so Natsu couldn't help but admire the pale smooth skin he could see. Natsu had always been a breast man. He didn't know why, but boobs just fascinated him and this girl must have had the best set he'd ever seen. Her face was very much like her mother's but younger. She then smiled at them, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia. I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance." she said with a curtsy.

Her face, her body, her voice—he tested the air—even, yes, even her smell was perfect he thought. It's too bad she's a rich girl instead of a wizard. He'd never before met someone that instantly attracted him the way she did.

"Natsu! Oy Natsu! Pay attention here!" Natsu was clonked on the head, letting out the breath he hadn't realized he'd still been holding.

"Ow, what's your problem Gray?" he asked rubbing his head.

"MY problem is that we're being introduced and YOU are acting like an idiot staring at who knows what."

Suddenly, Natsu noticed that Lucy was standing right in front of him smiling widely. He jumped a little bit. She grabbed his hand.

"Please, call me Lucy." she said while giggling.

_Agh, now I like her laugh too._ "I'm Natsu." she let go of his hand.

"Father, mother, can I show them around the estate?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, of course, dear!" her mother answered. "Be sure to give them rooms near yours and be back for dinner. Remember, we have a lot of packing yet to do as well."

"Thank you, mother." With that the Fairy Tail wizards followed Lucy out the door.

* * *

><p>After they had gone Layla turned to her husband.<p>

"Well, what do you think?"

"The female wizard, Erza was her name, she looks competent. The cat seems harmless, but I don't like the looks of the other two." he stated.

"Really, I thought they were charming in a rough and tumble sort of way. They make me feel nostalgic. What I think is really the problem is that Gray and Natsu are both such handsome young men."

"Well, can you blame me for worrying? The dark haired one kept on unbuttoning and re-buttoning his shirt and the other wasn't even wearing a shirt, just a vest showing off everything!"

"Are you seriously worried that our daughter is going to break her promise and run away with one of those men?" Layla asked playfully.

"No...not really, but I still don't trust them.'

"Well, I do, especially the pink-haired one if he is who I think he is." Layla paused. "Anyways, Lucy promised to do her duty and marry and you promised she could finally meet some wizards. Don't you dare break her heart and go back on your word."

"I know, I know, but why did they have to send such young men?"


	3. Chapter 3: Lucy's First Friends

**I just want to thank all you readers and reviewers again. You make me feel so positive with your kind words. On another note, are you as excited as I am to read the next chapter of the manga tomorrow? I wonder how Fairy Tail will be saved and I want to see Lucy's reaction to a naked Natsu running around with Lisanna. I think Loke should witness the scene too.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, it wouldn't sell cause I'm a crappy artist.**

Lucy was having a great day. In fact, it was the best day she'd had in a while. She hadn't been this happy in two months, three weeks and a day. Before she was engaged. It was almost funny. This was supposed to be the happiest time in a young girl's life. In a few days she was going to have a fairy tale wedding. A beautiful white dress, thousands of flowers, romantic music, the best food and wine, and even a handsome groom. She tried, she really did, to be happy about her situation. However, there was one big problem. She didn't love him. She was going to marry a man she did not love. Hell, she barely even knew him. The first time they met was at her debutante ball when she turned sixteen less than a year ago. Then there were a handful of times when his family did business with hers, the last being when it was decided she would marry him. That's what this was after all, a business deal. Not a romance out of one of her fairy tale stories with a wedding and a happily ever after for a reward, but instead she was expected to give her body and soul to further her family's wealth and consequence. As a Heartfilia she had to do her duty. After all, she gave her promise. In return she was allowed to meet some wizards (a lifelong dream) from her favorite guild that was often featured in her favorite magazine, _Sorcerer's Weekly_.

So far Lucy had shown the mages most of the rooms within the mansion while introducing them to any of the servants they happened to meet. While she gave them the tour, they talked about nothing important, but that didn't matter to Lucy. It wasn't often that she got to speak to people her own age and even less often to those below her social status.

She really liked them; she knew she would. Erza was so beautiful and stately. She really admired her stoic strength and leadership skills. Gray had a quiet coolness about him that she liked. She felt that he was the type of person that you could trust to keep a secret. Plus, she found his apparent stripping habit to be very amusing. Imagining how her father would react to it made her laugh every time Gray unconsciously took off his shirt and pants. Then there was Natsu and Happy. They were just so cute together—like brothers. They had questions for her in every room they went to. True, the questions weren't always about the room. Happy, for example, often asked if there were any fish to be found. When she'd say no, he'd pout so cutely that she couldn't help but smile. Natsu's questions were a bit more personal—like he was trying to figure her out.

"This next room is my favorite in the whole house." Lucy said as they stepped into the library.

"Whoa...more books! There must be five times as many here than your dad's room! Have you read all these Lucy?" Natsu asked with wonder in his eyes.

"No, not all of them, but quite a few. I have a pair of gale-force glasses to help me." she admitted.

"Why is this your favorite room? It's just books as far as I can see." Natsu asked perplexed.

"Well, I love reading of course! I can lose myself in a story. Adventure, mystery, romance, friendship—I can experience all of that in these books."

"Oh." Natsu looked like he was about to say something else when they were interrupted.

"Miss Lucy, I wasn't expecting to see you again today. Are these the Fairy Tail wizards?" a strange-looking man asked.

"Yes, that's Erza and Gray and this is Happy and Natsu." she said pointing them out. "Everyone, this is Ribbon the librarian here."

"Pbbt." Happy said holding in a laugh "Natsu, that guy has hair that looks like a book."

"Happy, don't be rude." Erza warned.

Before long Lucy realized she needed to get back to her room to dress for dinner. When she was ready she led them to the dining room. Erza and Gray had actually dressed up and even Natsu was wearing a shirt under his vest.

"Now, remember to use your fork." Erza reminded Natsu.

"Boo" he whined "I hate forks."

Dinner was an interesting event. In hindsight, perhaps Natsu and Gray shouldn't have been seated next to one another. Lucy had been having a pleasant conversation with Erza about magic swords when Gray suddenly yelped.

"What the matter?" she asked concernedly.

"This fork burned my hand." Gray said as he looked at Natsu.

"I wonder how that happened." he said innocently.

"I wonder...indeed!" Gray said as a stomp could be heard from under the table.

"My foot." Natsu groaned quietly.

"Boys." Erza growled.

Natsu and Gray started shivering. Happy and Layla were shaking with laughter. Lucy's father, she noticed, was shaking too, but it wasn't with laughter.

After dinner Lucy invited the group back to her room. Erza and Gray started looking around while Natsu and Happy headed straight for her bed.

"That was good food Lucy, but there wasn't enough of it." Natsu said.

"Aye, and the fish was cooked!" Happy said making a disgusted face.

"Not enough! You ate enough for four people!" she said in disbelief.

"You should see him when he gets serious." said Gray casually.

"Lucy, is this your wedding dress?" Erza asked form inside her closet. "Can you try it on and show us?"

"Erza, I didn't know you liked wedding dresses." Gray said with shock in his voice "How girly of you."

"I know, right?" said Happy.

"S-sure Erza." Lucy said resigned to her fate.

When she emerged there was complete silence.

"Wh-what, does it look bad?" she asked worriedly.

"No. Far from it. You look really beautiful, Lucy." said Gray. "Your fiance is a lucky guy. Isn't he Natsu?"

Natsu said nothing. He just stared at her.

Erza cleared her throat. "So Lucy, tell us about this man you're going to marry. What's he like?"

Lucy sighed. "Well, his name is Auguste Flavia and his family lives in Logres, that's south of here. He's twenty-two and is tall with brown hair and blue eyes. He's a minor noble."

"How did you fall in love? How did he propose?" Erza asked with hearts in her eyes. Lucy thought she should get this dress off. It was making Erza act weird.

"Um...I'm not." Lucy said quietly.

"Not what, Lucy?" Erza asked.

"I'm not in love with him."

"What!" Natsu shouted startling Lucy "Then why are you marrying him?"

"Heartfilia Railways. It's my duty to marry and strengthen the business."

"So for money then." Natsu sneered.

"It's not like I had much choice! I have to marry eventually and at least Auguste is good-looking. You should have seen the man my father wanted me marry first." Lucy shuddered at the memory of Duke Sawarr Junelle.

"I can't believe this." Natsu huffed "I'm going to my room."

"Wait for me, Natsu!" Happy said flying after him.

"What's his problem?" Lucy asked sadly.

"Don't worry about it, Lucy." Erza said patting her on the back. "Natsu just doesn't understand how the world works sometimes."


	4. Chapter 4: The Journey South Begins

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. If I did I'd play a lot more video games (Have you ever noticed that that's what all the manga-kas do in their free time?)**

* * *

><p>It was the next day. Everything had been packed the night before and now they were on their way south. Two horse-drawn carriages occupied the road along with several armored guards on horseback. The first carriage held Mr. and Mrs. Heartfilia while Lucy, Erza, and Gray rode in the second one.<p>

"Why isn't Natsu and Happy riding with us? Lucy asked "Is he still mad at me?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Gray said "Natsu is just a really bad traveler. Believe me, you don't want him in here with us."

"Where is he? I don't see him out there." Lucy said while looking out the window.

"Don't worry Lucy" said Erza "He's flying high above with Happy. So while we're here keeping an eye on you, he's scanning the road and forest for potential threats."

"Did you talk to him like I asked?" she continued turning to Gray.

"Yeah, and I wish I could get my hour back. It takes forever to explain anything to that idiot." Gray sighed. "He says he gets it now, so don't worry, he'll behave himself."

"Hmmm" Erza paused looking thoughtful. "So Lucy, our mission request sheet mentioned that we should entertain you while we're here. How should you like us to do that? Gray and Natsu can put on a fireworks show tonight, but that still leaves us with several hours to fill in the meantime. I suppose I could sing or recite for you." With that said, Erza started doing voice exercises to warm up her throat.

"N-no, that's okay Erza" said Lucy looking embarrassed. "I don't know why my parents put that in the request, but..." she hesitated.

"But what Lucy?" asked Erza who had stopped her voice exercises.

"Maybe you could tell me a story?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"From all the books you've read, I'm sure you'll already know any of the ones we could tell you." said Gray.

"Oh no, not one of those" Lucy said shuffling around in a small bag by her side. She took out a battered copy of _Sorcerer's Weekly_ and started flipping through it. "In here it says a member of Fairy Tail destroyed some of Lupinus castle, and the church in Freesia, and the clock tower in Tuly to name a few. The articles don't give a lot of details, but all that destruction must mean that being a Fairy Tail wizard is pretty exciting right? Maybe you could tell me a story from one of your adventures? Please?"

Gray and Erza looked at one another. "May I see your magazine and borrow a pen, Lucy?" Erza asked. Lucy complied. "It looks like Natsu is going to be doing a lot of story telling later." Erza murmured as she sat making marks in the magazine.

"Why's that?"

"Well, those buildings you mentioned were all destroyed by Natsu." said Gray "He's well-known for wanton destruction of property." He paused. "However, I think Erza and I have some pretty exciting stories to tell too. There just won't be as many explosions in them."

At that Gray started telling Lucy about his last mission, during which he found himself naked so often that Lucy's sides hurt from laughing at his humorous story.

Erza had finished with Lucy's magazine. She had labeled each article with the name of the wizard responsible. Lucy was amazed to see Natsu's name by over half of them. Erza and Gray then spent the rest of the day telling her stories of past missions.

They stopped that evening at a small isolated inn. Happy and Natsu joined them looking utterly exhausted. They had after all, spent all day either flying or running, taking breaks when the horses did. After a well-deserved meal, Natsu was informed of his "entertainment" duties. In this, he was happy to comply. After all, he was proud of his work. His missions were successful—so what if a few buildings were incinerated in the process? It was true that he didn't always get all of the reward money (and sometimes had to run away from the police) because of it, but his needs were so few that he wasn't bothered by it.

The next day passed by in much the same way with Gray and Erza telling stories, but this time including ones of happenings within the guild. Lucy listened with rapt attention. It made her wish her life had been different. Life in Fairy Tail sounded like so much fun. She would've given anything to give up being Lady Lucy Heartfilia to be Lucy of Fairy Tail.

Before thy knew it, they were entering the city of Kumate. Lucy, having rarely been off the estate, was excited to see this town. She spent the entire time looking out the window at all the different houses and businesses. One business in particular caught her eye and she made sure to memorize its location.

The hotel they were staying at was much nicer than the one in the forest. So much so that Lucy had her own suite with a balcony overlooking the city. There was even a private dining room in the hotel that was reserved for special guests, which the Heartfilias qualified as. When Lucy and the mages came to dinner, only Jude Heartfilia was there.

"Father, where's mother?" asked Lucy concerned.

"She's not feeling well, so she's laying down." he replied.

"It hasn't started already has it?" she asked worriedly.

"No, I don't think so. It's probably just all the traveling tiring her out."

"What's wrong Lushie? What hasn't started yet?" asked Happy.

"It's nothing...just...my mom usually gets sick in the summer. She always gets better, but I still always worry that she won't."

"Don't worry Lucy, she'll be fine after some rest." said Jude Heartfilia.

Lucy looked over to her new friends to see Natsu practically falling asleep in his food.

"Are you okay Natsu?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. Today was just more tiring. There were actually a couple of vulcans nearby that I took care of."

"What are vulcans?"

"Think big monkeys that can take over your body if you let them."

"Ah man, why didn't you tell me? I've been itching for a fight." complained Gray.

"There were only two and they were pretty weak. I took em out with a couple of fire dragon iron punches."

"You still suck." Gray said.

* * *

><p>Gray, Happy, and Natsu were awoken abruptly the next morning.<p>

"Wake up! Now!" Erza shouted.

"Uh...five more minutes Erza." Natsu groaned.

"No, now!" she yelled as she dumped Natsu and the rest out of bed.

"Sheesh, what's your problem, Erza?" Gray moaned rubbing his head.

"My problem is that when I went to wake up Lucy, she wasn't there. She's not in the hotel. She's gone."

* * *

><p><strong>Dun-dun-dun. Where did she go? Don't worry, you won't have to wait too long. Monday at the latest. Until then!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Kidnapped!

**So, I had these first five chapters written out in a notebook (yeah I'm old school) before I published my first chapter. Let me tell you, writing the rest has been a lot harder. It looks like there's going to be nine chapters in all. I'm currently writing the eighth.**

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

* * *

><p>"What do you mean she's gone? Where would she go?" asked Gray.<p>

"If I knew that I would not be here, would I?" Erza asked menacingly. "It looks like she left from her balcony so we can assume she didn't want anyone to know she was leaving."

"Well, it's a good thing you got me here." Natsu said "I'll track her down."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Lucy was leaving the small shop that she had seen the previous day. She was feeling happy. <em>I can't believe I actually found one<em> she thought. It was really expensive, but totally worth it. Hopefully, no one would notice that she was gone. She had left pretty early in the morning after all. She hated that she had to sneak away, but she knew her father never would have allowed her to visit this shop. She started towards the hotel. If she hurried, maybe she could get back before she was missed.

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her wrist.

"Oy, where you going in such a hurry, missy?" asked a large man with several scars on his face.

Lucy had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she had failed to notice the small group of men that had followed her and were now surrounding her.

"Hey girlie, what's a pretty little thing like you doing in this part of town?" asked another rough looking man.

"Guys, look at this one." said the first man holding Lucy "We could get plenty of jewels for her. Let's take her."

"Please, let me go." Lucy said shaking in fright. "My father will pay."

"That's the idea." said the scarred man.

* * *

><p>Natsu and Happy had been flying for a few minutes when they came to the spot where Lucy had been.<p>

"She was here, Happy, but now I smell some other scents. Male scents. Six of them. I think they got her." He sniffed the air. "They're that way." he said pointing towards the river. _Ugh, I hope they're not in a boat. That'll complicate things_ he thought.

As they flew towards the river, Natsu thought he could hear something._ Is that Lucy screaming? Yes, yes it was_. Those guys are gonna get their asses kicked if he had his way.

* * *

><p>"Stop, stop! You're ripping my dress! Agh, it's torn now!"<p>

"Stop struggling woman! No one wants to tear your clothes! You're worth more if we keep you in pristine condition, y'know.'

"Someone save me! I'm being kidnapped!" Lucy screamed.

"Get on the boat now!"

* * *

><p>"There they are, Natsu!" shouted Happy.<p>

_Crap. Just his luck_. She was on a boat already. "Okay Happy, you're gonna have to carry me while I fight these guys."

Suddenly, there was a bright light and a whooshing sound and Natsu found himself falling.

"Happy, what the hell!" Natsu looked for his partner. Happy was falling as well. It looked like he had been hit head-on with some sort of spell. _These guys are wizards too_ Natsu thought just as he hit the boat.

"Natsu!" Lucy said in relief. "Get these guys! They're trying to kidnap me!"

Natsu tried to get to his feet only to fall down a second later. "Urp. Rocking...rocking...I can't...do it." he groaned in pain.

"Ha ha ha! What's with this guy?" mocked the leader of the gang. "Look at him! What a loser!"

At this, five of the men started kicking a very incapacitated Natsu.

"Argh! What the hell is this!" screamed Lucy "Do I have to do this all by myself!?" Distracted by his friends' actions, the man who was holding Lucy loosened his grip and Lucy was able to break free. Quickly, she dashed to the side of the boat, taking a shiny object out of her pocket. Sticking her hand in the water, she yelled "Gate of the Water Bearer Palace!, I open thee! Aquarius!"

Natsu couldn't believe what he was seeing. Magic! She was using magic! _Lucy was a wizard? Why did she hide that_? The next thing he knew, there was water everywhere. After a horribly nauseating ride through all that water, he found that he wasn't sick anymore. He must be on land again. There was wreckage everywhere, but no sign of the guys who were trying to kidnap Lucy. Lucy's magic must have washed them away. He hoped she and Happy weren't washed away as well.

"Happy! Lucy!" Natsu called out.

"Aye" Happy moaned weakly from a few feet away.

"You alright buddy?"

"I'm okay, Natsu."

"Do you see Lucy?"

"I'm here." Lucy said. Natsu headed towards her voice.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, just a little shaky." she said standing up.

Lucy felt terrible. Aquarius was always so rough on her. She was battered and soaked and cold.

"Natsu...I..." she started to say when she noticed that Natsu just stood there staring stupidly at her, his mouth hanging wide open. Was it her imagination, or was he also blushing?

"What, what's wrong?" she asked looking around.

"I-I can see your nipples."

Lucy looked down. _Shit! What happened to her dress?_ It must have gotten completely torn and washed away by Aquarius. Now she was standing in just her slip, which was completely see-through when wet apparently. It clung to her, showing off everything beneath.

"Stop looking, pervert!" she yelled while trying to cover herself with her hands. "Natsu, I need your clothes."

"Wha...Wh-why Lucy!? Why do I have to be naked too?" he whined.

"You don't have to be all naked, idiot! Just give me your vest and that thing you wear over your pants!"

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm a lady and I'm not walking back to the hotel in just a slip! That's why!"

"Fine." Natsu grumbled taking off the requested clothes and handing them to Lucy.

Now it was Lucy's turn to gape. True, he wore his vest open so she'd had a peek at his muscular chest before, but without his vest was so much better. She now had a completely unobstructed view of his beautiful pecs and abs. With the removal of his waist-cloth, she could see the tops of his hips and part of the v-line of his groin. The sight was making her stomach flip and flutter.

"What're you lookin' at?" he asked.

"N-nothing. Thank you." she said as she covered herself as best as she could.

Natsu crossed his arms and looked at her. "You gonna tell me what you were doin' runnin' away?" he asked.

"I wasn't running away! I was buying something!"

"What's so important that you had to sneak out to buy it? Erza just about had a shit-fit. What about your parents? Didn't you think they'd be worried about you?"

"Please, don't tell my parents about this, especially my father."

"Why should I?"

"Because he wouldn't approve. At all."

Natsu just looked pointedly at her, saying nothing.

Lucy sighed. "Fine. I was buying this." Lucy said holding up a key on a keyring.

"All this trouble for a key?" Natsu looked incredulous.

"It's not just any key. It's a celestial spirit key—one of the very rare twelve zodiac ones—Taurus to be exact. It's for my magic."

"That's another thing! Since when can you use magic? Why'd you hide it from us?"

"My father doesn't approve. He wants me to be a proper lady and not use magic. Plus, he's worried that whatever happened to stop my mother from using magic might happen to me also." Whispering, she added "She almost died."

"Your mother was a wizard too?"

"Yes, most of these keys were hers. All of them except this new one. She also had another golden key—but it was stolen from her before I was born."

"This is a lot of information to take in, Lucy."

"I know, but Natsu, you can't tell my dad. Please!" she pleaded.

"Okay, okay." he sighed "but you owe me. Big time. Let's go get Happy and go back."

* * *

><p><strong>How'd you like my big action scene? Seriously, most of this story is talking. Also, I hope you don't mind how she acquired Taurus. All I know is that in the manga, she made a contract with him as a teenager, probably after she ran away and we know she was looking for golden keys in magic shops.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6: She's a wizard?

**I just realized that I haven't done this much writing/typing in over ten years. God, I'm getting old.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, I'd make another OVA with lots of Nalu in it.**

* * *

><p>When they arrived back at the hotel, everyone else was already outside waiting for them.<p>

"Lucy! Lucy! Are you okay?" Her mother asked rushing to her side. "You're soaking wet! What happened?"

"Where is her dress and why is she wearing your clothes?" Jude Heartfilia asked glaring dangerously at Natsu.

"Uh...um...y'see..." _Shit!_ Natsu thought. _What do I tell them? I don't want to get Lucy into trouble._

"What did you do to my daughter?!" Mr. Heartfilia looked like he was about to explode. "Did. You. Touch. Her?"

"Wha...no..y'see..." he began.

"Daddy, no!" Lucy ran over to her father "I woke up early and Natsu was already awake so he asked if I wanted to see the town and I said yes and I tripped and tore my dress and fell in the river and Natsu pulled me out so please don't be mad please!" Lucy explained in a rush of words.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that nonsense?" He redirected his gaze to Natsu. "If I find out that you hurt her in any way, you're out of here."

"I'd never hurt Lucy." Natsu said seriously.

"Go get dressed Lucy, we leave in ten minutes." her father said turning and walking away.

* * *

><p>There was another confrontation ten minutes later when Natsu announced that he wanted to ride with Lucy and the others in the carriage. It was starting to get pretty heated until Lucy and Layla stepped in. Layla was able to calm down Jude maintaining that Natsu was trustworthy, while Lucy convinced Natsu to keep the peace and take up his previous post in the sky with Happy.<p>

* * *

><p>The morning had been so unusually stressful to Lucy that when she sat down in the carriage, she groaned in blissful contentment. Closing her eyes, she sat back and thought over the events of the morning. So much had happened. She had a new key—a golden one even—she hoped to make a contract with it later tonight. Then she got kidnapped and the men were going to sell her—hopefully back to her parents, but she could have ended up being sold as a sex slave just as easily. That part was scary to think about. Then Natsu came to save her, but he was no help at all. Why did he get all weak on the boat? She'd had to reveal her magic to get them out of that mess and she really hadn't wanted to do that. Next came the embarrassing memory of being almost naked in front of Natsu. Her cheeks were turning pink just thinking about it. Then the rest of her heated up thinking about Natsu almost naked when he gave her his clothes. He has a really sexy body she thought. She smiled thinking about how she kept taking admiring glances at his chest and back muscles as he walked her back to the hotel. Natsu had been too busy to notice her at the time as Happy kept teasing him about being a stripper like Gray.<p>

Lucy's pleasant thoughts were brought to an end by Gray clearing his throat. Lucy opened her eyes to see both Gray and Erza looking at her, Erza looking a little scary even.

"So..." Gray started.

Lucy sighed and looked out the window. "I guess you're probably pretty mad at me, huh?"

"Well, you did have us pretty worried, Lucy." Gray replied. "No one knew where you were. It's lucky that Natsu was here to track you down. I don't know if Erza and I could've found you."

Lucy gulped thinking again about her kidnappers.

"Now" Erza growled out, and Lucy noticed she was very mad indeed. "You are going to tell us the truth. We know that you did not just go for a walk and fall in the river. You put your own safety at risk. How can we protect you if we're not nearby? That is the job we were sent to do. Then you also got Natsu to lie for you which is unheard of, and now your father seems to think he's some sort of sex fiend." Gray let out a strangled sort of laugh at this and Erza glared at him. Turning back to Lucy she said "Do I need to go on?"

"No." Lucy said quietly with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll tell the truth, just please don't tell my father." She took a deep breath. "I saw a magic shop last night. That's where I went this morning...to buy this." she said holding out Taurus's key.

"That's a celestial spirit key. Lucy, are you a wizard?" Erza asked. Lucy nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Gray asked perplexed.

"My father's not supposed to know. Besides, compared to you guys my magic is pathetic. I mean this one here just sings to me and this one I use to cut my hair. Your magic is so cool and powerful and I didn't want you to laugh at me."

"Lucy, we'd never laugh at you. Fairy Tail wizards wouldn't laugh at a friend like that." Gray said matter of factly.

"Really?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"Yes, really." Gray said. Erza nodded.

Lucy then proceeded to tell them the rest of the events of the day—leaving out the parts about ogling a half-naked Natsu. Erza was naturally horrified that she had been nearly kidnapped and Gray was ecstatic about what happened to Natsu on the boat.

"Ha-ha, that's great Lucy! I can't wait to tease him about it later." laughed Gray. "To think that the fire freak would need to be saved by Lucy...Ha!"

"Hey, I thought you said Fairy Tail wouldn't laugh at a friend." Lucy said shocked. "Why was he like that, by the way?"

"Natsu has extreme motion sickness." Erza stated.

"Usually, it's just annoying as hell, but as you can see, sometimes it bites him in the ass!" Gray said gleefully.

"Gray, you are entirely too joyful about this." Erza sighed.

* * *

><p>Up above them, Happy's attempts at conversation weren't going as well.<p>

"I hope we have fish for dinner tonight!" he said.

"Hmm. Sure Happy." Natsu murmured.

"Natsu! What's wrong?"

"What do you been, buddy?" Natsu asked finally paying attention.

"I've been trying to talk to you for an hour now and you've barely said a thing. What's the matter?"

"Oh nothing, just thinking."

"Thinking! Are you sure you're Natsu? Quick, prove it to me, what did you give me for my last birthday?"

Natsu chuckled. "Happy, even I think sometimes. And to answer your question, I gave you fish for your birthday. Everyone gives you fish, buddy. I think you're a little obsessed about it."

"I can't help it, fish are just so good."

"Say Happy, what do you think about Lucy?" Natsu asked suddenly.

"I think she's nicer than I thought she'd be."

"Yeah, me too." Natsu paused thinking how to phrase the next part. "Happy, do you think we could convince her to give up this life and come back to Fairy Tail with us?"

Happy burst out in laughter. "That's a good joke, Natsu!" Happy was surprised by Natsu's serious expression. "You're serious. Natsu! Do you think if you gave Lucy a choice between living in a big house with servants and anything she wanted or living in our dirty little shack, she'd pick us?"

"It's not that dirty." Natsu grumbled crossing his arms.

"Natsu, it's filthy and you know it."

"It doesn't matter Happy, cause I'm still gonna try. She doesn't belong with that guy she's gonna marry. She'll be unhappy. She's...special. I don't know why, I just feel it in my guts that she's important."

Happy looked at Natsu dumbfounded. "Now I'm even more convinced that you're not Natsu. Who are you and what did you do with Natsu?"

Natsu chuckled again. "Why do you say that, Happy?"

"Because you like her Natsu. You like a girl. You've never liked girls like this."

_Maybe that's true and maybe it isn't_ Natsu thought. He shook his head. It doesn't matter though. What mattered was did Lucy like him and Fairy Tail enough to leave everything she knows and loves behind? He hoped so.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm working some odd shifts in the next few days, so the next update might not be until Sunday. I'll try to type some before work, so we'll see.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Convincing conversations

**You guys are sooo going to hate me for the way I treat poor Natsu in the next chapters.**

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

* * *

><p>It seemed that Layla Heartfilia was able to calm her husband sufficiently during the day's journey. Dinner passed in quiet civility for which Natsu was especially grateful. He didn't want to antagonize Jude Heartfilia any more than necessary since he wanted to be able to talk to Lucy alone later.<p>

Natsu had wanted to talk to her as soon as they stopped for the day, but he kept getting thwarted. First by dinner, and then immediately afterward by her parents, who grabbed her to talk to them. Resigned, he went to talk to Erza and Gray instead.

"Guys, I have a problem with this mission." Natsu announced.

"Oy, not again." Gray groaned.

Natsu ignored him. "Erza, we can't let Lucy marry that guy. Also, we're heading in the wrong direction, we need to go back north."

Erza lifted her eyebrows at this. "What are you suggesting, Natsu?" she asked carefully.

"We take her back to Fairy Tail." he said confidently.

"No."

"Wha...why not, Erza?"

"Natsu, have you forgotten what our job is? We made a contract with her parents to guard her until she is delivered to her fiance's home. I intend to get her there."

"But Erza, we can't..." he began before Erza cut him off.

"Yes we can, Natsu, and we will. As Fairy Tail wizards we are going to do the job we said we would do."

"But Erza" he whined "She's a wizard. Didn't she tell you that?"

"How does that affect our job?"

"Erza! How can you say that!? She's a wizard! She belongs in a guild! With us!" Natsu was starting to get mad now.

"Oy Natsu, you're starting to sound like a broken record." Gray groaned. "What makes you think she'd even want to join us?"

Natsu spluttered at this. "You too, Gray?"

"Yeah me too. I'm not about to face Erza's wrath, and besides it's like she said: we're Fairy Tail wizards and we gotta do the job we said we'd do."

"But guys" he whined again.

"ENOUGH!" Erza boomed.

Natsu shrank back. "I've had enough of this conversation, Natsu. We are going to continue on this journey even if I have to incapacitate you. Her parents hired us for a job. If we went back on our word, not only would it destroy the trust the Heartfilia's have in us, but it would ruin the good name of Fairy Tail."

"Not to mention we wouldn't get paid if we ran away with their daughter." added Gray.

"You guys suck." Natsu sulked._ I'll just have convince Lucy myself_ he thought.

* * *

><p>As Lucy was walking back to her room, she was feeling two things: a little depressed and oddly enough, embarrassed. When her parents had grabbed her, she expected to have to answer more questions from the events of the morning. Luckily she'd had plenty of time (and imagination) to figure out what she would tell them had they asked. Satisfied with her answers, her parents then launched into the real reason for their private conversation. Tomorrow they would reach the city of Logres and she would see her fiance again. That was the part that was depressing her now. She'd almost forgotten that was the reason for this journey.<p>

What followed was a lecture from her father about how important this marriage was for their family. It was going to allow Heartfilia Railways to expand first south and then elsewhere as her children grew up and made connections of their own. It was the same old conversation—Lucy was going to do her duty for the family and her father was proud of her for it.

When her father finished, he left so her mother could talk to her alone. She'd always liked talking to her mother before then, but now she wished she could erase what her mother had just explained to her. This particular conversation had been about duty too—wifely duty. That's right, it was a talk about the birds and the bees. In fact, a very detailed discussion about it. Her mother even had an illustrated book. Her face burned just thinking about it. Her mother really didn't need to do that. She knew about the act of sex; she'd read about it plenty. Now she was just extra nervous and uncomfortable thinking about what was expected of her on her wedding night. How would she ever be able to do it with someone she didn't even know she wondered.

These were the thoughts going through her mind as she ascended the stairs of the inn and entered her dark room. She turned on the light and got the shock of her life. There was Natsu, right in front of her face. She couldn't help it; she started to scream. Natsu was quick however, and covered her mouth with his hand, pulling her close to him before she could make much noise.

"Jeez, why're you screamin', it's just me." he said.

_He's too close_ she thought. It was reminding her of her recent talk with her mother and the pictures in that book. She could feel his firm muscles through the fabric of her dress in this unexpected embrace._ He's so warm and he smells go good, like wood smoke and exotic spices_, she thought.

"You're goin' all red, Lucy. Are you okay? You can breathe right?" she nodded. "Okay, I'm gonna let go and you're not gonna scream. I need to talk to you."

"What are you doing in my room, Natsu?" she whisper-yelled pushing him away. _He was still too close, didn't he know anything about personal space?_

"Like I said, I need to talk to you. Alone."

"Well, we're alone now. Say what you need to say and then go so I can go to sleep. Today has been a long, strange day."

"Okay, how do I say this?" Natsu started pacing the room.

After about a minute of watching Natsu put his thoughts together, Lucy couldn't take it anymore. "Natsu! Any time now!"

"Alright, Alright!" he took a deep breath "Lucy, you can't marry that Odd Flavor guy."

"His name is Auguste Flavia and why can't I?"

"Cause you gotta come back with us to Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail? Ha-ha, very funny." she deadpanned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm very tired and I need to get ready for bed."

"I'm not joking around here." Natsu growled. "You belong in a guild."

"No. I don't. My magic isn't good enough for a guild."

"What are you talkin' about? You took out six guys with the magic you did today! It was awesome magic!"

"Yeah...well...Aquarius is still so unpredictable. I don't know if I could count on her when it mattered." she countered.

"Then train until you can count on her!"

"This is nonsense, Natsu. I still can't go to Fairy Tail."

"And why not?" he asked angrily.

"Because I made a promise. I promised my father I would marry to help the business and he promised I could meet you guys. He kept his end of the bargain. I need to keep mine."

"That's crazy, Lucy! You can't keep a promise like that!"

"As a celestial spirit wizard, I do. My word is my bond. If I was to break my promises, what kind of wizard would I be? How could my spirits ever trust me if I did that?"

Before Natsu could answer, the door swung open.

"Erza!" Natsu said.

"What are you doing here, Natsu?" Erza asked glaring dangerously at him.

"I'm just talking to Lucy. Calm down." he huffed.

"You need to leave now. It is too late in the evening for you to be alone in a lady's bedroom."

"Fine, I'll go, but this isn't over." he said as he jumped out the window.

* * *

><p>"Fuck!" Natsu yelled as he punched a tree with a flaming fist. The tree crashed to the ground.<p>

"What the hell are you doing, moron?" Gray asked walking towards him from the shadows. "Are you trying to get us kicked out of this hotel?"

"No...I'm just...pissed off." Natsu ground out.

"Is this still about Lucy?"

"Yes! Why can't you guys see what I can?" he asked frustrated.

"Natsu, I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are wasting your time. That girl is way out of your league. I can see why you like her. Believe me, I get it. But you need to move on, cause that girl isn't going anywhere with you. She lives in a whole different world than ours. There's plenty of other pretty girls out there."

"This isn't about her being pretty anymore. She's important! To all of us! We can't let her get away!" Natsu screamed and punched another tree, knocking it over.

Gray lifted his eyebrows at this, unimpressed.. 'Natsu, you've got to stop destroying these trees, they might belong to the hotel."

"But I need to punch something!"

"Well, I think I can help you there, but we need to go further into the forest so Erza doesn't hear us."

Natsu relaxed, smiling. "Thanks Gray."

"Anytime. Now let's go you stupid bastard."

* * *

><p><strong>We can't make things too easy for Natsu, now can we? It wouldn't be as much fun. I think tomorrow might even be worse for him. Hee-hee-hee.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Auguste Flavia

**Warning: The following chapter contains an OC. I just couldn't see Lucy actually consenting to be the bride of Duke Sawarr Junelle. She knows she's hot and thus deserves a hot groom.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. I suppose I might own Auguste Flavia, but feel free to use him, I think it would be amusing to find him in a different story.**

* * *

><p>Erza ended up spending the night in Lucy's room, the reason being that she wanted to make sure that Lucy wouldn't sneak off in the morning again. Lucy tried to convince her that there was no need seeing that they were in the middle of the forest, but Erza would not be swayed.<p>

Seeing as Erza was there, Lucy thought that it was a good time to make her contract with Taurus, so Erza could see how her magic worked. Lucy could see why she was able to find Taurus in a magic shop. He must have previously belonged to someone who didn't want to be sexually harassed every time he was called on. He was such a pervert!

It was the next morning and they were getting ready to leave for the last leg of the journey. Lucy and Erza went out to the carriage to find Gray, Happy, and Natsu already there. Both men had several bandages on their face and hands.

"What happened to you two? Did you run into more vulcans last night or something?" Lucy asked in concern.

Erza was looking murderous. "Boys, were you seriously fighting again after I expressly forbid it?"

"C'mon Erza" said Gray unabashedly "It's been what, four days? I think that's pretty good considering I've had to see his ugly face every day."

"Who you callin' ugly, droopy-eyes?" Natsu growled.

"Watch it, slanty-eyes." Gray answered.

"You wanna go, popsicle princess?" Natsu said leaning towards Gray.

"You bet, flame head." Gray answered closing the distance.

Erza took this opportunity to clonk their heads together hard. "Get in the carriage!" she yelled.

After Gray stepped in, Natsu made to follow him.

"What are you doing, Natsu?" Erza asked.

"I'm going with." Natsu said frowning.

Erza sighed. "Fine."

Happy was the last one in the carriage. "Lu~cy!" he sang "Can I sit on your lap?" Lucy held out her arms in reply. Happy took the opportunity to snuggle into Lucy's chest. A low rumbling came from Natsu's direction. Happy giggled. _Did I miss something_ Lucy wondered.

When the carriage started moving, the effect on Natsu was immediate. His face an unhealthy shade of green, he started moaning and groaning, doubling up in pain.

"Natsu" Happy said sympathetically "Why did you want to torture yourself?"

"Ugh, do we really have to listen to this all day?" Gray asked.

"No." Erza said straightening up Natsu. Before anyone could say anything, she punched him hard in the stomach, knocking him out instantly. He lay slumped in Erza's lap, a thin line of drool dripping out of his mouth.

Gray sighed in relief, Happy just shook his head, but Lucy was shocked. "Why did you do that?" she asked, her voice unnaturally high.

"He was going to be a nuisance today." Erza said with finality.

"Don't worry Lucy, he's fine. Besides, you don't want to meet your fiance smelling like puke, do you?" asked Gray.

Anytime Natsu would give a sign that he was waking up, Erza was quick to hit him again. Lucy was starting to feel really bad for him.

The day passed much in the same way as the others before, in storytelling. Lucy relished these last moments with her new friends. But just as all good things must come to an end eventually, this journey too came to an end. Just as it was starting to get dark, they entered the city of Logres. _This is it_, Lucy thought, _the end of what little freedom I had_. They soon pulled up to the Flavia mansion. There were already several people waiting outside for them. As Lucy started descending from the carriage, a tall handsome man rushed over.

"Allow me, Lucy darling." he said, offering his hand.

Lucy blinked at his chivalry. "Thank you, Auguste." she said taking his hand and stepping down. Erza, Gray, and Happy soon followed her. Lucy quickly introduced them to her fiance.

"Any friends of my dear Lucy are friends of mine." Auguste declared. "Please honor me and my family by staying here tonight as thanks for taking such good care of my fiancee. We're having a welcome ball tonight and it would please me to have you join us."

"We gladly accept your offer." Erza stated.

"We do?" Gray asked perplexed. He thought they'd be leaving soon, with Natsu acting the way he was.

"Yes, of course, Gray." Erza said giving him a pointed look.

"Um, shouldn't we wake Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"No, let him sleep for now." Erza said. "When he wakes, he'll find where we are." she said pointing to her nose.

Auguste then led them into the ballroom. The Fairy Tail mages split off from Lucy and Auguste at this point. Inside, they ate, and drank, and talked. Lucy found that she liked talking to her fiance. He was well-read, highly informed of current events, and had gentlemanly manners which made him an excellent conversationalist. He talked well about the subjects he brought up, but also listened to Lucy when she was speaking. They had gone on for some minutes talking about this and that until they hit upon a subject that they both had an interest in: magic.

"I understand, my dearest Lucy, that you are a wizard yourself."

"Who told you that?" Lucy asked panicked.

"Your mother mentioned it in a letter."

"My mother's been sending you letters?" Lucy asked shocked. Her mother never said a thing about it to her.

"Well...yes, I wanted to know more about the beautiful woman I was going to marry. But don't change the subject." he admonished. "Are you or are you not a wizard?"

"What if I am?" she asked hesitatingly.

"That would be fine by me. I have a high respect for magic users. I can't use magic myself, but I've hired wizards in the past." This surprised Lucy so much that she couldn't speak. "In fact" he continued "if you want to keep practicing magic you could join a guild. Mermaid Heel isn't too far away from here. We could move closer to their guild so you could join if you like."

"Mermaid Heel, huh? I'm not as familiar with them. What are they like?" Lucy asked.

"They are a group of very competent wizards. All the work they've done for me in the past has been top-notch. Plus, they are an all-female guild so I wouldn't have to worry about your guild mates flirting with you all day long."

This conversation was almost too much for Lucy to handle. Her fiance was being so reasonable. She didn't expect him to be like this at all. She expected, to be honest, someone more like her father.

"Well, think about Lucy. In the meantime, would you honor me with a dance?" he asked holding out his hand.

"Certainly." she smiled allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.

Of course, he was also a very good dancer. Lucy was feeling conflicted. On one hand, she hated that tomorrow she was getting married to a man she barely knew for business reasons. On the other hand, he was making it hard for her to dislike him. On the contrary, he was very much like what she imagined her Prince Charming would be like. He was handsome, smart, polite, a good dancer, and seemed to feel genuine affection for her. Could she learn to love him? She didn't know. For now, she was just going to enjoy this dance.

* * *

><p>Natsu woke up to complete darkness. <em>Where am I<em> he thought, getting up. _Oh yeah, Erza knocked me out. Crap. All day wasted sleeping instead of trying to talk to Lucy_. His stomach rumbled. _Well, I better find some food before I do anything else_. Leaving the carriage, he headed for the mansion, following the delicious smells of a wide variety of food.

He found his way to the buffet table and started stuffing his face.

"Natsu! You're awake!" Happy cheered flying into him.

"Oof! Hey buddy, how's it goin'? Where is everybody?"

"Gray and Erza are off with the Heartfilia's, probably getting the money, and Lucy is over there dancing. Say Natsu, how much fish do you think I can buy with two hundred and fifty thousand jewels?"

Natsu, however, wasn't paying attention to this last question. At the mention of Lucy's name his attention was fixed on her. Happy rolled his eyes and flew away knowing that Natsu's mind was lost to him for now.

Natsu could see Lucy on the dance floor with a tall dark-haired man. _She looks happy_ Natsu thought in despair. Could he have been wrong about Lucy? Was this the place for her after all? Maybe she really could be happy as that guy's wife.

When the dance ended, Lucy noticed Natsu was now in the ballroom watching her. She led Auguste over to him.

"Natsu. I'm glad you're finally awake. This is Auguste Flavia, my fiance. Auguste, this is Natsu from Fairy Tail."

"Natsu, the Salamander, from Fairy Tail? I've heard of you. Wow, it's an honor to meet you." Auguste said smiling and offering his hand.

Natsu gripped it, hard. Auguste winced. "Kinda weak, isn't he?" Natsu said to Lucy. "Are you sure you want to marry a guy who can't even shake hands without hurting himself?"

"Natsu! Stop that!" Lucy said hitting him._ What has gotten into him? It was almost like he was jealous_.

"Sorry" he said scratching the back of his head "sometimes I get carried away."

"Not a problem." Auguste said frowning and flexing his sore hand.

"Anyways, can I borrow Lucy for a moment? I haven't been able to talk to her all day."

"Oh, you mean you'd like a dance with her too? Well, I can't say as I blame you. Go ahead, but bring her back soon. I can't bear being parted from her for long." Auguste said pushing them out onto the dance floor.

_Bastard_ thought Natsu. _That guy is way too confident that I'm no threat to him. Well, I'll show him_. He grabbed Lucy by the waist and pressed her closely to him. He then realized something.

"Uh...Lucy?"

"Yeah, Natsu?" she replied breathlessly.

"Um, I don't know how to dance like this." he admitted.

Lucy rolled her eyes and giggled. "It's okay, I'll show you." She then adjusted one of the hands at her waist and placed the other in her own. Next, she taught him the steps to the dance. Natsu picked up this information pretty quickly, but he always was a quick learner when it came to physical stuff. Once he got the hang of it, he felt he could finally stop focusing so much on the dancing and instead focus on her.

"Natsu, you're actually pretty good at this. I'm impressed!" she beamed at him.

"Uh...thanks, I guess."

"So, what did you want to say this time?"

"Huh?...Oh yeah! Are you still dead set on marrying that guy?"

"Natsu, we've been over this. I promised my dad. I can't just break a promise."

"But what about your magic? Could you really be happy giving it up?"

"Oh, about that. Auguste likes magic and wants me to join Mermaid Heel."

This stopped Natsu dead in his tracks. _Another guild? She could keep her promise to her father and keep practicing magic. What could he offer her that would even come close to that?_ Suddenly, it felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Natsu, what's wrong? Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"I'm...okay." he gasped out. "Sorry, I gotta go." With that, he fled the room, Lucy looking sadly after him.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, how many of you thought that Auguste Flavia was going to be a total dickhead? No way! I've got to make things hard for Lucy too!<strong>

**Oh yeah, sorry about not putting the accent mark on the words fiance and fiancee. I'm blaming my laziness.**


	9. Chapter 9: The Wedding

**Here it is, the final chapter. This one was the hardest to write, especially the very end.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail; I don't even own a set of the books...yet.**

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><p>Natsu spent most of the night thinking. Should he still try to interfere? He knew he cared for Lucy—much more than he should considering that he barely knew her, but was there even a shred of a possibility that she cared for him as well? He doubted it. Like Gray said, they were from different worlds. She was brought up in luxury, always getting everything her heart desired. Meanwhile he grew up wild in a forest with a dragon, of all things, for a father. She was soft and smart and knew how to deal with all these high society people while he was rough and coarse and admittedly a little dense.<p>

He knew he still wanted her in his life. There was still that nagging feeling like meeting her was meant to be; a feeling like everything he did in the future wouldn't go right if she wasn't with him. It was weird. Why did he feel like that? He wasn't one to believe in things like destiny. Hell, he didn't even like to make plans.

So he came back to the question at hand. Should he still try to break up this wedding and drag her off to Magnolia with him? Erza and Gray would be no help, Happy didn't seem to care, and Lucy herself was being stubborn about it. _Stupid promises_ he thought.

He made up his mind. Yes, he would bring her back to Fairy Tail. But how to do it? He tried to think of plan after plan, but decided that the best course of action would be the old cliché one: object at her wedding. He would tell her everything he felt—how he was physically attracted to her, how he had liked telling her his stories, and how he wanted to have adventures with her so she'd have stories of her own. Most of all, he needed to tell her that he truly felt they were brought together for a reason, that they belonged together.

He was startled from his thoughts by Erza suddenly sitting next to him. "Have you been here all night?" Erza asked "It's not like you to miss a party."

"Don't feel like celebratin'" he pouted.

Erza nodded sagely. "I understand." She stood up. "Get some sleep. The wedding is at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. I plan to leave around then."

"I'm not goin' with ya. I'm gonna object at the wedding. I'm bringing Lucy back whether she wants to go or not, even if I have to burn this place to the ground."

Erza sighed. "I thought you might say something like that." The last thing Natsu saw was Erza's fist before everything went dark.

* * *

><p>It was 9:00 a.m. the next morning and Lucy felt awful. She did not sleep well at all last night. It was all so confusing. Auguste was nice enough and she could have been happy with him she decided, but for one thing. Natsu. If she had never met Natsu, she would be okay with marrying Auguste and joining Mermaid Heel. She had spent the whole rest of last night dancing with Auguste hoping to feel that same spark she had felt when she had danced with Natsu for only a few minutes, but to no avail. There was just something about the dragon slayer that made her body react where no one else could. If it wasn't for that damn promise to her father, she would run away with Natsu to Fairy Tail in a heartbeat.<p>

There was a knock on the door followed by Erza quickly entering.

"Hi Erza! Where's Natsu, Happy, and Gray?"

"Who knows." said Erza nonchalantly. "Probably fighting again somewhere outside."

Lucy was speechless at the thought of Erza not caring about the boys fighting.

"I'm here to say our good-byes. It was a pleasure, Lucy." Erza said hugging Lucy. "We're going to have breakfast and then rent a car at a place due north of here. We're leaving at 10:15." Erza said staring directly into Lucy's eyes.

Lucy felt hurt that the boys hadn't come as well to say good-bye, especially Natsu. Maybe he was upset at her. "You know, you'd be welcome at the ceremony, if you wanted to stay longer." Lucy said hopefully.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Lucy."

Lucy's face fell. Erza turned to go. "Lucy, I would say one last thing to you. If you were free to choose for yourself, we would welcome you at Fairy Tail with open arms." With that, Erza walked out the door.

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><p>Natsu woke up groggily. <em>What happened? Oh yeah, Erza hit me again. Why'd she do that?<em> Opening his eyes fully, he saw that he was laying on the floor inside a car, its door open. Natsu tried to move, but found that his feet were tied together and his hands were handcuffed behind his back. He tried to use his magic to burn his bonds away. Nothing happened.

"What the hell?" he said weakly.

"Erza, he's awake!" Gray called.

Natsu heard the sound of footsteps and suddenly Erza's head came into view.

"Morning, Natsu. You must be hungry. Would you like some breakfast?" Erza asked.

"No, I don't want any fucking breakfast! I want you to let me go! And why can't I use any magic?" Natsu screamed in rage.

"Magic-canceling handcuffs." Erza said simply.

"Why do you have those?" Gray asked.

"I'm an S-class mage." she said to Gray matter-of-factly "Sometimes I need them for a job."

"Hey!" Natsu yelled. "Who cares?! Let me go! I need to stop Lucy!"

Erza and Gray ignored him. "What time is it, Gray?" Erza asked.

"A quarter to 10:00." he replied. "Are you sure about this?"

"This is the way it has to be." she answered.

_10:00? That's when Lucy is getting married! I need to get to her before it's too late!_ "ERZA!" he roared. "Let me go now!"

"No, Natsu." she answered "You'll have to wait like the rest of us."

Natsu loudly let out a flurry of expletives as he struggled with his bonds.

"This is going to be a long half hour." groaned Gray.

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><p>Around this time, Layla was making her way to her daughter's room to help her finish getting ready. She quietly entered.<p>

"Oh Lucy, you look lovely. Cancer really did a wonderful job on your hair."

"Yeah, he did." Lucy said in a monotone voice.

"That Auguste really is a lucky young man to be marrying such a beautiful young lady."

Lucy looked at her mother and suddenly started to sob loudly. "I-I can't do it Mama!" she cried.

"Lucy! What's wrong?" Layla gently asked, rushing over to her daughter.

"I can't marry him! I tried, I really did!" Lucy bawled. "He's even everything I thought I wanted, but now I know I don't! I want to go with Natsu!" Lucy finally broke down completely, unable to form words through her sobs.

"Layla firmly hugged her. "Shh, shh. It's okay sweetie. Calm down. I understand."

Lucy calmed down in a few minutes. "Mama, how can my spirits ever trust me again if I break my promise to father?"

"Is that what this is about? Lucy, your spirits care about you. It would hurt them even more if you spent the rest of your life with someone you didn't love. Remember what I've said about the One Magic?" Lucy nodded. "Well, if the One Magic is love, Lucy, then celestial spirit magic especially benefits from that. Your spirits will grow stronger as you love them more. To love them, you need to experience love yourself. So you need lots of love in your life!"

Layla took a handkerchief and dried Lucy's tear-stained face. "Go with Natsu, Lucy. You won't regret it. I think it will be the perfect place for you. Now, go tell your father and Auguste. They deserve to know. Meet me by the front door afterward."

The conversations Lucy had with her father and fiance were unpleasant to say the least. Her father was immediately enraged when she told him she was joining Fairy Tail. He tried every trick he knew to get her to reconsider—shame, threats, even bargaining, but Lucy was firm in her resolve. In the end, Jude threatened Lucy with disinheritance, which hurt, but it was a price Lucy was willing to pay.

The conversation with Auguste was quite different. He didn't believe her at first, but was soon convinced she was in earnest. He accepted her decision even though it was evident that he didn't like it. Lucy felt sorry that she was causing him heartache—she knew that if it wasn't for Natsu, she could have learned to love the man she had been engaged to.

These conversations finally over, she hurried to meet her mother again.

"Okay Lucy, I've got a bag here for you. I packed some clothes, around one hundred and fifty thousand jewels, your keys, and your whip."

Lucy was shocked. "My whip? How did you know I was practicing with that? I was doing it in secret!"

"I'm your mother, that's how. Now no more questions. You need to hurry if you want to catch them before Erza leaves at 10:15."

"Erza! How do you know about that?" Lucy was beyond shocked now. _What other secret knowledge did her mother have?_

"Oh, we had a long conversation last night, her and I. Now, you need to go, but I need to tell you one last thing. I knew someone near and dear to Natsu a long time ago. I tried to help him, but we failed. I think if you stay with Natsu, you can succeed where we did not." Layla hugged Lucy. "Now go!" she said pushing her out the door. "Write to me!"

"Everyday!" Lucy yelled running down the street.

Layla watched her daughter run towards her destiny. _Igneel_...Layla thought. _Did you ever believe your son would meet my daughter? Maybe someday, you will meet her too._

* * *

><p>Natsu had been yelling and screaming for a half hour now. He was so enraged that this whole city would be a towering inferno if he could use his magic. He knew the longer that Erza kept him detained here, the less likely it would be to stop Lucy's wedding in time. His throat was starting to hurt from all his yelling as were his muscles from all his struggling with his bonds. He was beyond furious with Erza and Gray. When he got free, he might just murder them. He was also worried about what they did with Happy since he couldn't smell him nearby. Tears were starting to flow from his eyes as he roared his displeasure at his situation. Soon his screams were replaced with sobs as he realized he was too late; Lucy was surely married by now.<p>

"I think you broke him, Erza." Gray said.

"It can't be helped. If he wouldn't have made those threats, I wouldn't have felt the need to restrain him."

"It's past time." Gray said, checking his watch.

"Then we wait for Happy."

Natsu was sobbing uncontrollably now, calling out Lucy's name continuously. Suddenly, he smelled something. It was Happy's scent along with another. It didn't seem possible. Could his nose be deceiving him? But no, it was true, the other scent coming towards him with Happy's was unmistakably Lucy's.

He stopped crying immediately. There, in the distance, he could see something flying towards them. It was Happy and he was carrying Lucy! He couldn't believe it. She wasn't lost to him after all.

"Erza!" he said excitedly "It's Lucy! Please let me go so I can see her!"

"Well, what do you know..." Gray said looking at the sky "She's actually coming. I can't say I understand it, but I guess you were right Erza."

"Of course, I thought that she would." Erza said as she unlocked Natsu's handcuffs.

Happy was starting to land with Lucy now, Lucy's face full of joy from her first flight. Natsu thought that with her white wedding dress and her golden hair shining against the sun, she looked like an angel descending from heaven. Finally released, Natsu ran to them, his arms extended.

"Drop her, Happy! I'll catch her!"

"Complying, Happy exclaimed "Watch out, Natsu! She's heavy!"

"I am not!" Lucy yelled as she fell, landing in Natsu's waiting arms.

Laughing, Natsu started spinning her around, earning giggles from the blonde mage. "Lucy, Lucy, Luce! You chose Fairy Tail! You chose us!" _You chose me!_

"Natsu, you're making me dizzy! Stop!" she said still giggling.

He stopped spinning and hugged her closer to him. His buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. _Mmm. Vanilla and strawberries and something uniquely Lucy._

"Not that I'm complaining, but what about your promise to your dad?" Natsu asked.

"Oh, I had a talk with my Mom. She convinced me that my spirits wouldn't be happy if I married Auguste." _And neither would I_ she thought.

Natsu suddenly remembered that Erza, Gray, and Happy were still nearby. "Erza, what the hell? I thought you didn't want Lucy to come back with us."

"You're not the only one who is fond of Lucy, Natsu. I just wanted Lucy to choose to come with us on her own rather than you forcing her to come."

"Well, this is all really touching." interrupted Gray sarcastically "But can we get going already? I'd like to get back to Magnolia."

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><p>In the car, Lucy unexpectedly found that her lap had become Natsu's new pillow. Occasionally, she'd stroke his soft pink hair, sometimes massaging his scalp. Although Natsu didn't feel well, it was a major improvement to how he usually felt inside a vehicle.<p>

"Lucy?" Natsu asked hesitantly.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked, her hand stopping mid-stroke.

"Would you be my partner? Just you, me, and Happy?"

"Really?" She looked at his hopeful face in her lap. "Of course, I'd love to Natsu." she said smiling at him.

_Good_ he thought, smiling back at her _cause now that I've got you, I'm never letting you go_.

* * *

><p><strong>What?! You thought they were going to kiss? They've only known each other for less than a week! Although, I think this Natsu would hurry their relationship along a lot faster than the real one. This Natsu knows how close he was to losing Lucy already.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed creating it.**


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